College Bball Thread

[Josh]

14 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Couldn't care less about how many true road games we have in the non-conference. 

Would rather have neutral site games anyways. It's a smarter way to schedule. We'll have tons of tough road games in conference. 

Last time I checked the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament are neutral site, not road games. 

Last you checked lol.

There's nothing like a true road game to check mental toughness of a team.  To prepare a team for adversity.  To prepare a team for competing against a team, an environment, against hometown calls.  How to get punched in the mouth and wipe off the blood.

But we're not trying that this year.

I hate it.

[Loaded Chicken Sandwich]

8 minutes ago, Josh said:

Last you checked lol.

There's nothing like a true road game to check mental toughness of a team.  To prepare a team for adversity.  To prepare a team for competing against a team, an environment, against hometown calls.  How to get punched in the mouth and wipe off the blood.

But we're not trying that this year.

I hate it.

There isn't an out of conference team you can play that'll have the same garbage Big Ten officiating on the road. It's literally impossible. Not playing at Kansas, Kentucky or Duke are as horrid as Big Ten refs peak conference play.

[Josh]

32 minutes ago, Loaded Chicken Sandwich said:

There isn't an out of conference team you can play that'll have the same garbage Big Ten officiating on the road. It's literally impossible. Not playing at Kansas, Kentucky or Duke are as horrid as Big Ten refs peak conference play.

Eh.

[BGleas]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

Last you checked lol.

There's nothing like a true road game to check mental toughness of a team.  To prepare a team for adversity.  To prepare a team for competing against a team, an environment, against hometown calls.  How to get punched in the mouth and wipe off the blood.

But we're not trying that this year.

I hate it.

Meh! Lot's of way to build toughness, including playing numerous top 10 teams both neutral site and on the road. 

We have something like 4 games against the preseason top 5. One of those on the road and two in tournament style neutral site locations. 

[HinnyHoosier]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

Last you checked lol.

There's nothing like a true road game to check mental toughness of a team.  To prepare a team for adversity.  To prepare a team for competing against a team, an environment, against hometown calls.  How to get punched in the mouth and wipe off the blood.

But we're not trying that this year.

I hate it.

That's the benefit of playing in a power conference (especially one that mixes football rules and refs in with the basketball). These boys will have plenty of tests in conference play which happens to span the majority of the season. Odds are they will fulfill your imagery by getting the opportunity to wipe the blood from their mouths and keep going. I agree that the quality of teams we will be playing in 'not-home' environments will test the team quite enough early in the season. It's also about building confidence and keeping that going; you can't be mentally tough without confidence.

[Josh]

7 hours ago, BGleas said:

Meh! Lot's of way to build toughness, including playing numerous top 10 teams both neutral site and on the road. 

We have something like 4 games against the preseason top 5. One of those on the road and two in tournament style neutral site locations. 

In neutral court games, IU fans represent.  There's nothing like the adversity you feel (especially for college age kids) when you feel everybody and everything is against you.  You don't get that playing in Atlanta where at least half the crowd will be cheering for you.

I feel pre-conference games on the road help prepare you for Big Ten road games which are more important imo.  

[BGleas]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

In neutral court games, IU fans represent.  There's nothing like the adversity you feel (especially for college age kids) when you feel everybody and everything is against you.  You don't get that playing in Atlanta where at least half the crowd will be cheering for you.

I feel pre-conference games on the road help prepare you for Big Ten road games which are more important imo.  

The bottom line is that at the end of the day this is absolutely not a team that will go into tournament play untested. 

[Scotty R]

2 hours ago, Josh said:

In neutral court games, IU fans represent.  There's nothing like the adversity you feel (especially for college age kids) when you feel everybody and everything is against you.  You don't get that playing in Atlanta where at least half the crowd will be cheering for you.

I feel pre-conference games on the road help prepare you for Big Ten road games which are more important imo.  

I know you don't care but there are very few power programs who play true non conference road games. We played two last year so it isn't like we never play on the road.

[Josh]

2 hours ago, Scotty R said:

I know you don't care but there are very few power programs who play true non conference road games. We played two last year so it isn't like we never play on the road.

Ummmm....did you see the list from USPS that there was only 7 that don't? 

[Josh]

3 hours ago, BGleas said:

The bottom line is that at the end of the day this is absolutely not a team that will go into tournament play untested. 

Different argument.  I'm trying to go into conference play with a road game or two under our belt.  

 

[Uspshoosier]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

Different argument.  I'm trying to go into conference play with a road game or two under our belt.  

 

I can understand why programs have gone away from playing true road games in the non conference but in my opinion I’m with you on teams testing themselves before conference play on the road.    For me from a bracketology side of things it’s a very low risk/ very high reward type of deal.     Playing neutral games are fine but it’s nothing like playing a game  on campus in a hostile setting.   If a team loses on the road in one of these marquee matchups big deal they were suppose to lose anyway however if you win one of these early games on the road then you have a big piece that will hold up in March.   IU got smashed by Kansas last year on the road and it didn’t affect their seeding one bit.   Just a road loss to NET top 5 team.  No one but IU fans remember the final score and beat down.     IU winning at Xavier turned out to be one of the best road non conference wins of the year and helped IUs résumé tremendously.   Some people were shocked IU was in that first 16 reveal as a 4 seed.  Committee showed right there how much stock they were going to put in big road wins.   If I was in charge of a teams schedule they would be playing at least 1 true road game a year 

[Josh]

4 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

I can understand why programs have gone away from playing true road games in the non conference but in my opinion I’m with you on teams testing themselves before conference play on the road.    For me from a bracketology side of things it’s a very low risk/ very high reward type of deal.     Playing neutral games are fine but it’s nothing like playing a game  on campus in a hostile setting.   If a team loses on the road in one of these marquee matchups big deal they were suppose to lose anyway however if you win one of these early games on the road then you have a big piece that will hold up in March.   IU got smashed by Kansas last year on the road and it didn’t affect their seeding one bit.   Just a road loss to NET top 5 team.  No one but IU fans remember the final score and beat down.     IU winning at Xavier turned out to be one of the best road non conference wins of the year and helped IUs résumé tremendously.   Some people were shocked IU was in that first 16 reveal as a 4 seed.  Committee showed right there how much stock they were going to put in big road wins.   If I was in charge of a teams schedule they would be playing at least 1 true road game a year 

You've won some goodwill back with me, but you're the one who triggered me at first!  Like an arsonist who puts out his own fire lol

I couldn't agree more

[Uspshoosier]

21 minutes ago, Josh said:

You've won some goodwill back with me, but you're the one who triggered me at first!  Like an arsonist who puts out his own fire lol

I couldn't agree more

 

[RaceToTheTop]

5 hours ago, Josh said:

Ummmm....did you see the list from USPS that there was only 7 that don't? 

Did you read the "this list will be updated periodically as we count down to the 23-24 tip off"?  It's not a complete list because not all schedules are finalized.

Also have to wonder how many teams are only playing a single road game because of a conference challenge has them playing on the road.

IMO, the mandated 20 conference game schedule has produced fewer and fewer true road games.  You are already guaranteed 10 power 5 road games.  Add in a conference tournament and the average team plays another two games against power 5 teams on neutral courts.  The point of making your non-conference schedule tougher is kind of a moot point when 70% of your SOS is going to be against teams in your conference.

[Stuhoo]

2 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Did you read the "this list will be updated periodically as we count down to the 23-24 tip off"?  It's not a complete list because not all schedules are finalized.

Also have to wonder how many teams are only playing a single road game because of a conference challenge has them playing on the road.

Yup. If we played a single road game at Southwest Wyoming Tech that wouldn’t make us more prepared.

I do agree that some road games are a win/win. Playing at Auburn would have been just about as tough as playing them in Atlanta, and would’ve been better for our tournament metrics.

[Josh]

1 hour ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Did you read the "this list will be updated periodically as we count down to the 23-24 tip off"?  It's not a complete list because not all schedules are finalized.

Also have to wonder how many teams are only playing a single road game because of a conference challenge has them playing on the road.

IMO, the mandated 20 conference game schedule has produced fewer and fewer true road games.  You are already guaranteed 10 power 5 road games.  Add in a conference tournament and the average team plays another two games against power 5 teams on neutral courts.  The point of making your non-conference schedule tougher is kind of a moot point when 70% of your SOS is going to be against teams in your conference.

Yeah...update me as you get it.  My guess is it doesn't grow near the "there are vary few teams that play non-conference road games". I'd put money that the comment is still wrong when you're checking your updates

[RaceToTheTop]

12 hours ago, Josh said:

Yeah...update me as you get it.  My guess is it doesn't grow near the "there are vary few teams that play non-conference road games". I'd put money that the comment is still wrong when you're checking your updates

Not sure what you are saying with the last sentence.

I will say that I'd rather IU play three neutral court games than one road game.  If you want to advance in the tournament, neutral court ones are the ones you have to win. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Too good not to share.  Oscar Robertson grabbing a rebound during 1959 NCAA Regional Semifinal at Manhattan, KS, between Cincinnati and Kansas State.

[Josh]

10 hours ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Not sure what you are saying with the last sentence.

I will say that I'd rather IU play three neutral court games than one road game.  If you want to advance in the tournament, neutral court ones are the ones you have to win. 

Disagree!

Calipari has said the same thing and hoo boy has his team nosedived in the tourney since he started that strategy.  The stats don't back your theory up.

[go iu bb]

5 hours ago, Josh said:

Disagree!

Calipari has said the same thing and hoo boy has his team nosedived in the tourney since he started that strategy.  The stats don't back your theory up.

It probably had more to do with his depending on freshmen especially when combined with those freshmen increasingly becoming good but not great.